


Harmonies

by SenatorWiggles (MayorWiggles)



Series: Souls Smut [5]
Category: Dark Souls III
Genre: Body Worship, Explicit Consent, M/M, Mutual Pining, PIV Sex, Slow Burn, trans character written by a trans author
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 13:14:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayorWiggles/pseuds/SenatorWiggles
Summary: A non-canon addition to the SFW fic Melodies: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21907711/chapters/52290259After the Twin Princes have been defeated and the two mens' friendship has been properly forged, they find themselves romantically and sexually attracted to each other.
Relationships: Ashen One/Orbeck of Vinheim
Series: Souls Smut [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980217
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Harmonies

Much to Melody’s immense satisfaction, Orbeck had discovered a series of bookshelves that were not cursed. He watched as his fellow sorcerer bobbed up and down the aisle with his fingertips running over the leather spines. When they’d first arrived at the Grand Archives, Orbeck was determined to learn no matter the cost, and if that cost was getting wax in his hair, that was hardly a price at all. But Melody… He grimaced at the thought. The man couldn’t sit still with the wax in his hair and over his face. He picked and scratched at it so insistently that Orbeck began to feel itchy out of pity. 

But now the two of them were free of the wax, and Melody was actually smiling. Orbeck tried to remember the times Melody genuinely smiled around him, and very few of those times were directed at him. His friend was as guarded as he was, though Melody’s guard was a poor one. Where Orbeck’s bitter facade was the result of years of careful construction, Melody’s was a sheltered attempt at hiding his heart. Now there was no mask. 

As Melody bobbed and weaved like a crane looking for fish in a pond, Orbeck watched him from one of the mobile stairs. He’d climbed it to seek a tome out of his reach, but he’d stopped midway and sat to admire his companion. How the man’s pale blue coat made his frame seem fuller. How his hair, an inky black like Orbeck’s own, was pulled into a soft bun behind his head. His almost beak-like nose and expressive face. The man shifted from smiles to frowns to pursed lips in a fraction of a second, and for the first time, Orbeck felt like he could read him. 

“You are beautiful.” Orbeck spoke from his perch with his head on his knuckles. Melody froze, hand on a book, and straightened with confusion painted clearly upon his face.

“What brought that on?” He asked, turning towards Orbeck. There was a time when he would have assumed Orbeck was mocking him, but too much had happened, too many things had been discussed and made clear, for Melody to assume anything about what Orbeck said or did anymore. All he felt he could safely assume was that since Orbeck was so careful with his expression and words that he had said that with intention. 

The sorcerer just smiled. It was far from his typical glare with his entire body mirroring the relaxed comfort of his smile. His shoulders loose, one arm folded over his lap with the other elbow on one knee propping up his head, one foot on a step and the other pushed against the railing. His dark hair, which normally hung in front of his face, tucked behind an ear. His pale, striking, eyes locked on Melody’s, and the man felt like a bug pinned beneath a magnifying glass. He blushed and turned back to the books. 

“Surrounded by all of these books, and you're wasting time watching me.” Melody still cracked a smile. It spread across his face like water over hot pavement. Slow. Languid. Warm.

“I wouldn’t consider it a waste of time. Though the justifications I may give would either mask my true reasonings or simply fail to impress upon you the value I find in this.”

Melody raised a knuckle to his lips and began to hum. “If I did not know you, or if we had just met, I would have assumed you were evaluating me. I would have assumed that you were trying to think of ways to get rid of me--” He winked before Orbeck could protest. “But luckily for me, and perhaps for you, despite my inability to properly determine your motives, I am a stubborn bitch.”

Orbeck let out a loud guffaw. He knocked himself forward with the force of it, and had to catch himself before he tumbled off the stairs. Melody’s smile turned into a grin.

“I might look and act the part of a sheltered man, my dear friend, but I did travel with a Watcher for years.” He turned back to the shelves, but his mind was no longer on reading. “For what it’s worth,” he murmured. “I think you are beautiful too.”

\-----

“Orbeck! No! Wait!” Melody barely reached him before he dunked his head in the vat of wax. Orbeck spun, confused and on guard, the moment he heard his friend’s distress. But as he looked around, he saw no danger. Only Melody running to his side with a thin leather cord in his hand.

“Please,” he began. “At least tie back your hair. Take off your shirt-- something. Try not to be so  _ gross _ .” Melody’s face crinkled in disgust as he eyed the stone pool. The wax smelled terrible, but Orbeck didn’t have the same reservations that Melody did.

“Is this some sort of plot to see my bare chest?” He said, hoping Melody would recognize his flirtation for what it was. 

“What? No.” Melody waved the cord in front of Orbeck completely oblivious. “I just see you covered in it, and  _ I  _ feel it. So please, at least tie back your hair.”

The once-assassin frowned and took the band from Melody’s hand. For being a man who loved men so shamelessly, he neither had reservations about other men’s bodies nor any awareness of someone being interested in  _ him.  _ Orbeck pulled his hair back and reconsidered his strategy.

Even if Melody wasn’t openly affected by the bodies of other men, which he doubted and genuinely suspected Melody just knew how to keep it to himself, him removing his shirt to retain some semblance of cleanliness would please his companion. With his hair tied at the nape of his neck and a few renegade locks hanging by his temples, Orbeck began to undo the buttons of his coat.

It took a moment for Melody to register what he was doing. He’d not had the chance to see Orbeck’s face clearly without his hair hiding his features, but now his jaw, the sharp curve of his cheek bones, the softness of his tired eyes, all came into a new light. There was something sly and dangerous to Orbeck’s smile, but Melody didn’t know what until his companion stuffed his coat and gloves into Melody’s arms.

He was silent as Orbeck undid his cravat. The way his fingers loosened the fabric around his neck and undid the brooch pinned to the front. His hands made short work of the few ties and buttons on his shirt, and with swift ease Orbeck pulled it off over his head. Melody had been so mesmerised by the act, he’d forgotten himself and somehow managed to be surprised to see Orbeck’s chest. He was lithe and lean like an athlete with dark hair running from his navel to his belt.

“They carved you out of marble…” he whispered in awe. It took him a moment to tear his eyes from Orbeck’s chest and arms-- arms that looked like they could lift him without much thought-- and meet his gaze. Orbeck was grinning, relishing in Melody’s blatant appreciation. He dipped a finger in the wax, and Melody swallowed thickly, his mind running wild. Then Orbeck dunked his head in the vat.

\-----

Melody needed space. He sat between the bookshelves out of Orbeck’s view (and where he couldn’t see Orbeck) and chewed on his knuckle. Their relationship had enjoyed physical distance, but now all he could think about was Orbeck standing there bare chested in front of the wax. His mind ran rampant with images of Orbeck dipping his hand in the wax and dripping it over his chest. Rivulets of solidifying liquid running down his front over his breast down his stomach freezing just before they reached his belt. The noise Orbeck might make as the wax dribbled over his nipple.

But far more powerful than his simple bare chest was his face. Melody was not unused to topless men-- he’d been sketching portraits of Andre long before he met Orbeck-- but seeing him with his hair tied back was truly seeing something raw and naked about Orbeck. That chest could have belonged to anyone, but that face could only belong to Orbeck. The cut of his jaw, the slant of his nose, the exhaustion under his eyes, his hungry expression, it was all plain and visible with his hair tied back. There was nothing hiding him anymore, and with it gone, he radiated confidence. It was  _ that  _ that was driving Melody crazy. 

There was a knock on the wooden end of the shelves that ripped Melody out of his reverie with an undignified squawk. 

“I see you are making good use of your time.” Orbeck, clean once more, peaked around the shelf with his hair dangling in front of his face.

“You gave me a fright.” Melody regained his composure and smoothed down his coat. “I was simply thinking.”

“Melody…” Orbeck crossed in front of the other man and sat with his back to the opposite shelf. “I meant that with affection. I have no intention to judge you for how you spend your time here.”

“I know…” His voice was soft. “Or I think I do. No, I do.” He sighed and looked up to Orbeck who sat so casually across from him. He was much easier to face with his hair down and clothes on.

“Melody, I am not sure how to court you--” A sputter cut Orbeck’s words off, but after a glare he persisted. “After the two princes were slain, you said you would have married me. I know you meant it simply as a way for me to receive an education, and that is no longer important, but I still want to woo you. Yet I do not know how, and I fear pushing you away.” 

Orbeck’s relaxed posture tightened like a frightened animal as Melody’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. “You are beautiful, and I meant what I said. Even without the dragon school--” Orbeck dragged a hand over his face and looked to Melody with pleading eyes. “Please don’t let me push you away. I would rather hear a ‘no’ from you now than to ruin what we have.”

Melody stared, expression unreadable, then began to laugh. He bowed his head in a weak chuckle oblivious to Orbeck’s pain, then turned to him with a soft grin. “And here I felt conflicted for thinking of you with your shirt off. You bastard. You were doing it on purpose.” Melody patted the space next to him, and in a moment Orbeck was by his side. He turned to meet Orbeck’s grin with his own. “You don’t have to court me, Orbeck.” He placed a finger over the man’s mouth before he could protest. “Because I am already yours.”

Never had Melody seen Orbeck look so vulnerable. Never had he seen his eyes so soft. The men leaned into each other resting their foreheads against one another.

Orbeck wanted to kiss him. He wanted to tilt his head and press his lips against Melody’s, but in that moment the closeness was enough.

\-----

Melody seemed perfectly content to maintain the physical distance they’d always kept, but Orbeck’s heart wrung like wet laundry in a strong woman’s hands. They sat at a table across from each other in relative silence with scrolls and books between them, but Orbeck could hardly concentrate on the words before him. If Melody was already his, as the man had said, then why had nothing shifted? While they had a better understanding of each other than when they first met, they were still indistinguishable from mere colleagues. 

“You’re looking more dour than usual.” Melody spoke, interrupting Orbeck’s thoughts. “Is that a good glare about something interesting, or a bad one?”

“It’s--” Orbeck sighed and leaned back from the table. He knew he had to make things explicitly clear with Melody, but it still took him a moment to gather his courage to express himself. “I feel as though a great distance remains between us. A chasm I do not understand how to cross, but I want to be on the other side. I want to be with you.”

“You are with me.” Melody canted his head to the side. “We are here together. Studying together.”

Orbeck shook his head. “I want to touch you, to be by your side, to brush back your hair, and whisper in your ear. I want…” His glower softened. “I want you to touch me. I want you to kiss me, to run your fingers carelessly through my hair. To hold my hand without a thought. I want you to stare at me when I undress…” 

The chair squealed against the wooden floor as Melody stood. Stiffly he stepped around the table and pulled out a chair next to Orbeck before dropping down on it. He hunched over, looking Orbeck in the eye, then grabbed his companion’s hand and held it in a firm grip. Melody shifted his hand in Orbeck’s before entwining their fingers.

“I could go my entire life just sitting here by your side, and I would be content,” Melody began. “In the few romances I had in life, and the one in undeath, there were years for me and my partners to learn each other and what we wanted. To learn what was desired.” He lifted Orbeck’s hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to his gloved knuckles. “We do not seem to have that luxury now, but I never want you to doubt my affection.” Another kiss. “I want your affection be it in words or touch or action. I want to show you my affection in ways you understand it.”

Melody’s dark eyes shined as Orbeck leaned into him. When he was close enough to kiss, Orbeck paused and asked, “May I kiss you?” 

Immediately, with his gaze so intently set upon Orbeck’s, Melody answered. “I would like nothing more.”

Orbeck was hesitant at first. Melody was so close, but he’d been this close before and nothing had come of it. He’d had so many false starts with the man that a part of Orbeck doubted he would actually kiss him this time. But when he tilted his head and leaned forward, Melody held still. Waiting. 

The first kiss was gentle and chaste. Where Orbeck’s lips were thin, cracked, and dry, Melody’s were soft and warm. Buzzing with the electricity of it, Orbeck pulled away. He’d done it. He’d kissed Melody, and wasn’t sure where to go from there. He wanted more, but having been so long without physical intimacy and Melody’s aversion to touch, he wasn’t sure how far to press. They were mere breaths away as Orbeck looked over his companion’s face. Wide dark doe-like eyes and a faint smile. Orbeck swallowed as Melody pressed their lips together.

The second kiss was just as tender, but it lingered. Their clasped hands fell apart as the men reached for one another. Orbeck’s hands slipped around Melody’s waist, pulling him closer, while Melody ran his own hands up Orbeck’s arms and squeezed his shoulders. The awkwardness of their position eventually won out, and the men parted with loose grips on one another.

Melody smiled, his face turning pink, and chewed on his lip before running his hand up Orbeck’s neck to tuck his dark hair behind his ear, ghost his fingers over his cheek, and cup his jaw. He sighed upon seeing Orbeck’s face.

“How lucky I am,” Melody whispered. “How few see your face as I do. Your beautiful, noble, face with eyes like the winter sky. Oh Orbeck…”

\-----

Thoughts of Orbeck drifted through Melody’s mind like a draft of warm air. His companion wanted to touch and be touched, but there was nowhere really suitable for that in the archives-- Melody would have to make a place for it. When Orbeck dipped his head in the wax, Melody disappeared into the bonfire to retrieve soft things. 

Silently and like a fog, Melody slipped through the abandoned homes and churches throughout Lothric snatching up blankets, cushions, curtains, anything soft he could carry, and with luck he wouldn’t disturb Orbeck’s dedicated studying. He returned to the archives, dropped his haul, and slipped away again and again. He wanted it to be a surprise. A gift. A place to sit together within arm’s reach. But when he stepped again through the bonfire... 

Orbeck was standing there waiting for him with worry over his face.

“What are you doing?” He asked as Melody nearly ran into him.

“I uh.” Melody glanced around and saw his stack of soft things had remained where he’d dropped them then stuffed the blankets he held into Orbeck’s arms. “Surprize?” 

“What is all of this?” Orbeck glared out from beneath his curtain of hair. “Where have you been going? Why didn’t you tell me? I was worried when I couldn’t find you. I thought… I don’t know what I thought, but I thought you were gone until I saw… this.” He tossed the blankets on the pile. 

“Oh…” The other man ducked his head down in shame. “I thought you wouldn’t notice. You were so engrossed in your reading. I wanted to have this ready by the time you were done.” 

Orbeck quirked a brow. “What were you planning?”

“I don’t sit on the ground well,” Melody weakly began. “It hurts my joints like I’m much older than I should be, but we can only sit so close together at the table… I want to do more than hold your hand and occasionally kiss you, or I want you to do more than hold my hand. Since you initiate it more often. It’s a place to sit together...”

His voice trailed off. Orbeck took Melody's face in his hands, and brought him down enough to kiss him.

“You don’t have to tell me  _ what  _ you’re doing, but please tell me where you’re going. And promise me… Promise me you’ll stay safe.”

Melody’s breathing hitched. For a moment, his world was all pale blue and whispered devotion. A fire made of winter sky and black ink shot through him, tearing at him as he wrapped his arms around Orbeck and pressed his mouth to the man’s lips. It was a ferocious, awkward, ugly kiss. Melody, suddenly desperate to have Orbeck against him, grabbed at the man and pulled him close as though if he tried hard enough, they might merge into one being. Then the fire disappeared leaving them in a sloppy uncomfortable embrace. They broke apart leaving panting breaths and warmth between them.

“I-- I promise.”

Orbeck, half dazed, ran his hand up Melody’s arm and rested it on his shoulder. Then he chuckled and wiped the spit from his cheek. “I think…” Orbeck leaned forward to press his lips against his companion’s collar. His mind lost his words as he leaned into Melody’s arms. He glanced at the pile of blankets and cushions, then looked up to meet Melody’s dark, searching, gaze.

“You see why I sought out the soft things..?” Melody found the words Orbeck had lost. “I cannot hold you like this at a table…”

“Then let’s lay it out.”

\-----

Orbeck did not expect to be the ‘little spoon.’ Melody was almost exclusively attracted to broad and strong men, and could seem so meek and mild mannered that Orbeck had assumed the man would have sought out being held over holding. But having Melody curled around him with his arms draped over Orbeck’s body while the two read from the same tome felt natural. Orbeck felt oddly safe.

Both men had set aside their coats and gloves. The way the fabric was stitched together limited the movement of their arms, and the small distance it created between them was tangible. Without the coats, they could feel the other’s warmth almost as though there were nothing between them. Melody’s hand idly ran up and down the front of Orbeck’s shirt ghosting the buttons near the collar and then to the buckle of his belt. Orbeck found it soothing. But eventually the motion stopped as Melody readjusted himself.

“Orbeck,” Melody began with a grunt as he shifted to prop himself up better. “I realize this will sound forward, but… My hips are aching. Chalk it up to me being an old man or something--”

“Melody, we are all old men now.”

“Yes, well, this is a problem I’ve had my entire life, and… I could solve it with a pillow…”

“Then why don’t you?” Orbeck didn’t look up from the book.

“Because, well. There is the option for closer physical intimacy.”

Orbeck paused his reading and looked up at Melody. “Is there something you need me to do? If you are asking me to rub your hips, I will do it.”

“Well--” Melody avoided Orbeck’s piercing gaze. Now that he was asking for permission, it seemed silly.

“If you are in pain, and I can help, then simply say the word.”

“No no-- I mean, yes, but… your help isn’t necessary…”

“But you still want it?”

“Yes.” Melody dared to look back at Orbeck and met his confused glare. “You see, it helps if I put a pillow between my legs, which I can do quite easily but…” His eyes ran down Orbeck’s body. “Since we’re already entangled… I thought I might… use your leg instead… Put my leg between yours, and thus be closer to you… but that would be perceived as rather forward, and I did not wish to make you uncomfortable.”

“Melody…” Orbeck closed his eyes, smiled, and turned back to the book. “You may stick your leg between mine. And perhaps one of these days, you will no longer worry about what makes me uncomfortable and instead speak your mind directly. Or perhaps simply be more forward.”

“Perhaps I will…” Melody nudged his knee at the back of Orbeck’s legs, and his companion raised one leg to allow them to grow more entangled and ease Melody’s discomfort. Orbeck’s thighs were wider than his own, though that was not an accomplishment in itself, and the gap already alleviated some of the ache in Melody’s hips. Melody, snuggling close to his companion, continued to read over his shoulder.

But Orbeck could not read at all. Not with Melody’s leg between his own. Not with the warmth of another man surrounding him and embracing him. Not with Melody so close and so oblivious to what he was doing to Orbeck.

“Melody.” Orbeck had given up on trying to read, and when his companion did not complain that he’d stopped turning the pages, Orbeck assumed Melody had too.

“Is something wrong? Should I get a pillow instead?”

“No it’s. We need to have a serious discussion.” Orbeck felt Melody grow tense around him. “I should say an important discussion, as it is necessary but it is not grave in nature.” He slipped out of Melody’s embrace, turned, and sat facing him. 

“Orbeck,” Melody said while remaining laying on his side with a dopey smirk. “Every discussion with you is serious. What is on your mind?”

“Ha.” Orbeck’s scoff was as close to a laugh as Melody ever expected, and he’d come to appreciate it. “Then perhaps this serious discussion will end with something enjoyable.” Orbeck’s grin melted into that same vulnerable look he’d given when Melody had first pledged himself to the man. “I want to make love to you. Maybe not now, maybe not for awhile, but I want you to know this. I want you to know, so that if you feel similarly, you are not needlessly hesitant because I am unreadable. So that if the time is right, we can seize it.”

”I do not often dwell on the attractiveness of others, but I cannot deny what you do to me.” Orbeck leaned forward, searching Melody’s face for rejection or acceptance. All he found was the same doe-eyed concern he’d long since come to know as one of Melody’s many unreadable expressions. “With your body against mine, all I can think of is how I want to be even closer to you, to be physically closer  _ with you. _ ” To be in you, he stopped himself from adding. “And if you feel similarly or if the notion is appealing to you, I would like to act on that. But most importantly, I need to know what  _ you  _ feel.”

Melody watched him in wide-eyed silence. He wanted to strip off his clothing right then and there, but he was frozen in place. Silent words formed in his mouth then fell without sound or impact. Unable to speak, he simply nodded. Then he forced out the first word.

“Yes,” Melody whispered. “Yes,” he said louder. “Yes,” he said with conviction. “Orbeck I want you. I want you as my friend, as my companion, as my colleague, as my partner, as my lover-- I  _ want  _ you, Orbeck. When I said my request might seem forward, that was my way of saying I was about to be forward with you. I gathered the things to make this makeshift bed in the  _ hopes  _ that it might be used for such a thing. From the moment I saw you shirtless with the wax dribbling down your body, thoughts of you have haunted me. You have no idea how desperately I want you.”

Orbeck froze in both disbelief and confused arousal. “I don’t think I can go back to reading after hearing that…” His thoughts were in a pleasant jumble, and for the second time in recent history, Melody pounced on him. The kiss, while still desperate and ugly, was just as powerfully received as it was given. Melody grabbed at Orbeck’s shoulders, grinding his hips downwards into his companion’s, while Orbeck grabbed at Melody’s hair until his knees went weak.

When Orbeck pulled away, he gasped for air and said between breaths, “I want this to be right. I want this to be good. Melody, I’ve never been with a man like you, and I want to-- I want to make love to you. Not make a fool of myself.”

Melody pulled away from the embrace only to take Orbeck’s face in his hands. “Then let me show you. Let us calm down from this fever, and let me show you my body… let me see yours.”

With a nod from Orbeck, the two parted and began to undress themselves. Melody removed his shirt and boots and watched as Orbeck did the same. The former assassin was gorgeous, and Melody had to force out thoughts of hot wax dripping over his perfect body. Melody closed his eyes and reclined over the bedding they’d used before and only looked up when he felt the warmth of Orbeck sitting next to him looking over him. Melody smiled, took one of Orbeck’s hands, and placed it on his chest.

Curious and taking Melody’s lead, Orbeck ran his finger over one of the thin scars contouring Melody’s pectoral. “My experience is limited, and I am afraid that I’ve never had the privilege of being with someone with the Dark Moon’s blessing.” Orbeck leaned down to press a kiss to Melody’s collar bone.

“You must be curious.” Melody stroked Orbeck’s hair. “I will tell you everything-- there’s nothing worse than a partner who doesn’t know what to do and won’t listen.” He giggled as Orbeck looked up at him. “I’m sure you’ve had just as many overconfident dissatisfying partners. I certainly don’t want you to be unprepared, and… I want you to do the same for me.”

“As you wish.” Orbeck propped himself up to look over Melody’s body with his hand still resting on the man’s chest. “These scars… Were they really necessary?” Orbeck grimaced as he imagined Melody undergoing some gruesome ritual to chop off whatever feminine flesh he had. Even the nipples were ringed with pale scarring.

“Yes.” Melody smiled gently. “I didn’t realize what I was until I was in my teenage years. By then I was well on the way to developing the body of a woman, and there was much work to be done to combat that. My uncle contacted one of the Dark Moon’s clerics, and it was quick and painless-- or at least it felt as such. I was not aware for it. The cleric described it as a ritual scarring, but I’d seen other people with much smaller scars. I think there was more medicine to it than she suggested. But for months, the scars glowed a dim blue. That was pretty neat. The strangest thing is that my nipples don’t really feel like nipples, but I think the scar runs over where my nipples  _ used  _ to be, so it’s hypersensitive. It excites me when you run your fingers over them.”

Orbeck blushed and ran his hand down Melody’s gaunt frame. “I can’t imagine you having much flesh. You are so thin…”

“Food used to hurt.” Melody caught Orbeck’s hand in his own and held it. “When I was little, I didn’t make the connection, but my uncle was always looking out for me. I didn’t realize that the only food he ever had out was food that wouldn’t hurt. Bland things. Soft things. Vegetables were pureed. Only very specific fruits. A diet I still don’t understand, but one that rarely hurt. When I lived on my own, I didn’t realize any of that, and in my attempt to control it, I largely just starved myself.” When he saw Orbeck’s pained expression, he quickly added, “but with undeath and the bonfire, I haven’t had to worry about that.”

A silence fell between them. Orbeck, a man who’d had little in life, found himself pitying his companion who had had seemingly everything in life. A powerful family, great privilege, support, an education. Orbeck knew that if he was not so close with the man before him, he would have resented him. He would have taken solace in Melody’s pain, but he couldn’t. Disliking the look Orbeck gave him, Melody moved his hand down below his stomach to another scar.

“This was made the same day as the ones on my chest.” It was small, thin, and nearly invisible. So much so that Orbeck would not have noticed it if Melody hadn’t pointed it out. “With this scar, they removed my wo--” He choked on the word. “They removed the organs that would continue to press my body into femininity. With this scar, I was freed of everything that would make my body turn against me. The Dark Moon largely only removes our burdens, but she gives out a powerful miracle to those who walk in her light. This miracle allows us to replace our femininity with masculinity or our masculinity with femininity. It is said in her youth, she was gifted a ring that did the same for her, but as she grew in power, she no longer needed it. I used to pray to her every night, and I continued to do so in undeath, but…”

A pained look shot through Melody. His hands drew into fists as he tried to push the rage out of his mind. “But she is no longer with us.”

Orbeck kept his hand on Melody’s stomach as the man regained his composure. Melody’s expression smoothed over, and he looked back over Orbeck before commanding, “take off my pants.” Startled by the sudden change and erotic order, Orbeck jerked his hand off of Melody’s stomach and began to undo the buckle and ties that held his pants up. “And my underwear,” Melody added. Mentally cursing the heat pooling in his groin, Orbeck made quick work of Melody’s clothes and set them aside. Before him, laying naked before him, was Melody relaxed and completely bare.

Melody took Orbeck’s hand and placed it between his legs over the fluff of dark curly hair. Orbeck hadn’t known what to expect. A part of him expected a penis like his own, but what he felt and saw was something he’d never encountered before. “I was born with a body that belonged to a woman,” Melody murmured with his hand over Orbeck’s. He guided Orbeck’s fingers to explore between the slick folds and run over the small penis-like member. “This-- oh fuck. This was once a clitoris…” It was colored red like the rest of the tender flesh and a little slimmer and shorter than Orbeck’s thumb with a head and a relatively thick foreskin, and while Orbeck had no experience with something like it, he began to stroke it like he would any other cock. 

Melody stiffened then covered his eyes with the heel of his palm. He grimaced as Orbeck toyed with him, then cried out, “Wait!”

Orbeck began to withdraw his hand, but Melody held it against him. “I’m sorry,” Orbeck began. “I-- did I hurt you?”

“No! No.” Melody’s chest heaved. “I just, I can’t explain if I lose myself so soon. Stop looking at my face, and… And let me show you what you do down there.” A part of Orbeck didn’t want to look. He wanted to keep his gaze upon Melody’s face and watch the man unravel, but he couldn’t unravel him if he didn’t know what pleased him. As he turned, Melody lifted one of his legs and threw it over Orbeck’s far shoulder. Parted and wanting, Melody’s soft slick flesh was bare for Orbeck to see.

“There… There is a hole just below my--” Melody poked his member. “I don’t like butt stuff, but I do like it when my partner plays around in there.” Orbeck ran his fingers down the soft flesh leading to that hole, marveling at the moisture that gathered like sweat but stuck to his fingers like thin syrup. Melody shuddered at the touches. The muscles within twitched as Orbeck drew closer to the hole.

“Will we need a lubricant?” Orbeck asked. 

“No. Nope. I get… juicy quite easily.” Melody giggled at his own wording. “So long as we don’t stick anything in anyone’s ass, we should be ok.”

Orbeck sighed. “And here I was looking forward to seeing what that aromatic ooze would do…”

Melody popped him with his foot. “You’re not sticking anything weird in me, Orbeck. Just your fingers and your dick. Maybe your tongue. We can stick something weird in you later, but first your fingers, oh come on please. Just one. Think of it like an ass but easier.”

“Just what do you plan on sticking in my ass?” Orbeck grinned as he pressed a finger against the warm, wet, soft opening. Instead of an answer, Melody just moaned. He shifted his hips to take the finger more deeply while watching Orbeck’s expression shift from a wily grin to wonder and curiosity. “Gods,” he whispered as he curled his finger in Melody. “It’s like the inside of a mouth, but without teeth. All plush flesh and wetness.” He twisted his wrist feeling with the pad of his fingertip and driving Melody towards the edge of his self control. “You weren’t kidding. You are… juicy.” Orbeck snorted at the word, repeating what Melody had claimed. 

“If you reach further in and curl your finger towards my front, you’ll find a spot I  _ really  _ like.” Melody shifted, trying to lift his hips up better, but simply fell back against the ground. “Not all of my partners could feel it, but when I look for it, the texture changes. You’ll know it by-- ah!” Orbeck, following Melody’s instruction, had curled his finger roughly forward, and after a few probing touches, he’d found the spot and began to stroke it. “Ok ok! Off of it or we won’t-- we won’t finish!”

“What else is there?” Orbeck’s voice was low and heady. He hadn’t touched himself or allowed Melody to explore him, but watching his partner so vulnerable and so teasing was more than enough to get him started.

“There’s… my cock, which you already tried to jerk off.” Melody shot Orbeck a half hearted glare. “But the underside of it, as it runs into the hole and to where you were fingering… When you’re in me, if you stroke that hard while rubbing the head of my cock, it’ll shatter me.” Melody grinned up at Orbeck before pulling his leg from the man’s shoulder and moving so that Orbeck couldn’t continue to torturously finger him. He sat up and met Orbeck’s gaze. “I start by rubbing my shaft between my thumb and forefinger. Depending on how much time I want to spend on it, I either jerk myself like that and rub the head of my cock even more fiercely, or I press my fingers into myself to tease and draw it out. Then, when I either tire of that or can’t take it anymore, I rub my cock from hole to tip, jerking it fiercely until I’m bucking and spent.”

Orbeck swallowed. He wanted to forgo everything else and do just as Melody described then relieve himself over his satiated companion, but Melody leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Orbeck’s collarbone. “I--” Orbeck started. “I typically just grab myself and yank out an ejaculation. Or if I’m with someone…” He let out a soft gasp as Melody nipped his neck. “I usually… use my mouth and let my partner use his. Or we grind against each other… Very rarely have I ever trusted someone enough to be  _ that  _ entwined with them.”

“Would you like to be so entangled with me?” Melody’s hands ran down Orbeck’s chest. He had his own share of scars, but they were old wounds filled with stories for another time. When Melody’s hands reached Orbeck’s belt, Orbeck helped him undo the buckle. “Would you like to be that entwined with me? Or would you prefer lips and hands and grinding hips?”

“Entangled,” Orbeck sputtered. Melody’s hands were on his bare waist as Orbeck shucked his pants and underwear from his body. “But--” He drew close in Melody’s arms, their naked bodies pressed together. “Just hold me for a moment. Let me clear my mind.”

Orbeck shifted to the ground so that the two men were sitting together in what could have been an innocent embrace. Innocent were it not for Melody’s wandering hands, stroking over Orbeck’s back and running over his buttox and thighs, and for Orbeck’s growing erection. Orbeck’s heart was pounding in his chest, but with nothing between them he could feel Melody’s heart beating just as fiercely pounding against his ribs like a baton upon a drum. There was heat where their skin touched, and with that heat came an intoxicating comfort. It was a bounty of affection for the touch starved pair.

“When you’re ready,” Orbeck murmured with his jaw against Melody’s ear. “Touch me. Love me.”

“I already love you.” Melody giggled as Orbeck knocked their heads together. “I know what you meant, and I am ready. I’ve been ready.” Melody ran his hands over Orbeck’s back once more before pulling away to run his hands over his partner’s chest. Orbeck was beautiful and perfect in Melody’s eyes, but his face was still hidden. When Melody brushed back Orbeck’s hair, it simply fell forward again.

“I have a request, if you would hear it,” Melody whispered.

“Of course.”

“Let me tie back your hair.” Melody ran his fingers through Orbeck’s hair, letting the wavy black locks fall from his hand. “Let me see your face. Plainly. Clearly.”

“On one condition.” Orbeck reached around to the back of Melody’s head. “You let your hair down. Let me see you vulnerable.”

“I would have to get the tie for your hair from somewhere,” Melody said with a smirk. “And the only one around us is binding my hair. It seems that even without your request, I would have to surrender my tie for you.”

With a scoff and a grin, Orbeck reached for the braided leather band that held Melody’s hair in a bun. It slipped out of it’s knot with ease letting Melody’s long hair fall free past his shoulders. Orbeck ran his finger through Melody’s hair-- though long and often tied back, it was silky, soft, and free of tangles. Melody sighed as Orbeck continued to stroke it, and while he did so, Melody took the tie from Orbeck’s hands and reached around his partner to tie back his far shorter hair.

“If you’re gentle,” Melody began. “You can tug on it when things get heated. Make sure you take a fistful of it-- if you pull on single locks, you might start pulling hair out, and it hurts more than I like. An entire fistful is a bit more like a dull pain than a sharp prick.”

“I’ve had my hair pulled enough times, both in sexual situations and not. I promise I will not hurt you.” Orbeck looked at Melody with an intense gaze. His pale blue eyes were ever striking, but with his hair pulled back in a small ponytail, the rest of his face overshadowed his eyes. Melody bit his lip.

“Orbeck,” he murmured. “Orbeck you have no idea what you are doing to me right now. I’m done holding back. Say the word. Let’s--” Melody ran his hand down Orbeck’s stomach and paused just above his groin.

“Yes.” One word was all it took. The moment Orbeck uttered it, Melody grabbed him and pulled him forward. Melody’s hand ran down over Orbeck’s half-rigid cock, and his mouth latched onto Orbeck’s neck, kissing and biting. Orbeck groaned as Melody lavished his neck with affection and teased his dick. His hands ran up Melody’s back and entwined with his hair. As Melody moved his mouth further down first to Orbeck’s collarbone then to his chest, Orbeck leaned back in Melody’s arm. When Melody began to kiss and tease his nipple, Orbeck fell back against the blankets.

“Oop!” Melody pulled away suddenly. “No thank you.” Orbeck looked up startled. “I will not be on top. Not today.” Melody looked down at him. He was flushed red and eager, but he’d stopped the teasing and kissing. 

“You don’t want to be?” Orbeck’s brows knitted in confusion. “I suppose I’d assumed you would since I am not familiar…”

“No, I don’t.” Melody hefted his partner back up. “I have been with three partners in my entire life, and all three have been very broad men who  _ refused  _ to be on top of me. I will not stand by and let my last partner join their ranks. Orbeck--” Melody pulled him close with their bodies pressed together. “You will do fine. There is more than one way to pleasure me. Now spread my legs and fuck me.”

Melody had the face of someone gentle and unassuming. He had the face of someone who could only say soft innocent things. Dark doe eyes and expressive lips. He did not have the face of someone who commanded sexual acts. The contrast went straight to Orbeck’s dick.

Orbeck began to push Melody back against the cushions and blankets. He ran his hand down Melody’s chest over his stomach down to his thighs, and with a nudge from Orbeck’s thumb, Melody spread his legs. Orbeck stared in astonishment. Melody’s member was thicker and stiffer than it had been before, but what was so startling was just how wet he was. 

“You could finger me,” Melody said. “You could eat me out. You could suck me off. But I want your cock. I want you to stick it up in there, and you know what to do with that.”

“As you wish.” Orbeck, throbbing and hard, kneeled between Melody’s legs and bent over him. He first kissed Melody’s stomach, peppering affection up to the man’s sternum and neck, then he took his cock in hand and pressed the head of it to Melody’s eager slick. The soft, wet, heat was strong like whiskey, and Orbeck found himself stopping before he even began to push in.

“Don’t  _ tease me, _ ” Melody whined while moving his hips up and down, dragging his smaller member over the head of Orbeck’s cock. He wrapped his arms around Orbeck’s shoulders. “Please, Orbeck. Make love to me.”

“I-- Yes.” Orbeck paused a moment before finally pushing forward into Melody. The man beneath him felt glorious, and Orbeck thought he might lose it then and there. He watched Melody’s face as he slowly pressed their hips together, and when he thought he could push no further, he pressed a heated kiss to Melody’s lips. The man was so hot around him. So soft. So wet. There was little resistance to him once he began to move, and to chase that arousal between them, he had to move swiftly. 

Orbeck broke the kiss as he began to pull back. He wanted to watch Melody’s face as the man so openly expressed his pleasure or disdain. The twitch of his lips, the widening of his eyes, the way he stared up at Orbeck like he was the sun in the sky-- the soft mewling sound he made as Orbeck withdrew and pushed back in.

“Oh gods,” Melody whimpered. “You can move faster, Orbeck. You’re torturing me like this.”

“You don’t need to--”

“No!” Melody cut him off. “Go! Just move! Come on-- I’m already ready!” He grabbed Orbeck’s face and pulled him down against him. “Faster-- harder-- make me  _ scream  _ for you! Make me-- Ah!”

Orbeck snapped his hips forward, shoving into the man beneath him. He felt Melody tense beneath him, but when Orbeck began to slow, Melody grabbed his ass and tugged him forward. Melody wanted him more intensely than Orbeck was giving, but with each pleasured sound he elicited, Orbeck’s confidence grew until he was pounding into his companion with enough force to shove him back into the blankets.

Melody grabbed first at the man above him, then at the blankets around him. All he could see was Orbeck’s face above him with his piercing eyes and sharp features. His grimace and grunts as he exerted himself. His hair slowly falling free of the tie. Melody’s toes curled, and he lifted a leg so that Orbeck could hit him a little deeper and a little differently. He whined, desperate to have Orbeck’s attention on his member-- unattended, it was throbbing and at the mercy of the occasional brush of Orbeck’s hips against Melody’s. Melody grabbed it and began to yank on it.

Though his mind was in a haze chasing his own pleasure, Orbeck saw Melody move his hand. He shifted his weight so that he would have a free hand to jerk his partner with. His hand over Melody’s, he began to pump and rub and press until Melody was mewling. 

Orgasm coiled within Orbeck like a snake about to spring. He wanted to hold out, to ensure Melody finished first so that he could pull out and ejaculate over him and paint his body with strings of his lust. And he was already close when Melody curled upward into him, his body tensing and his voice rising-- then Melody screamed. He screamed, and he bucked, and he spasmed. Orbeck had barely kept his orgasm at bay, but there was nothing he could do with the sudden all consuming sensation of Melody’s.

He began to come deep within his lover. Thick ropey fluid pooling and filling what space Melody had. Orbeck pulled out, his cock throbbing with release, and shot the last few threads of his pleasure across Melody’s chest and stomach. He collapsed next to the man, their chests heaving and limbs heavy.

Melody tucked a lock of Orbeck’s hair behind his ear and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I can’t believe that was your first time with a man like me,” Melody whispered. “You could have fooled me.” A warm smile spread over Melody’s face as he tucked his head under Orbeck’s chin. “But next time,” Melody continued with his voice muffled against Orbeck’s neck. “Next time I want you to finish in me. Completely. I like that.”

“I…” Orbeck, already flushed from exertion and arousal, turned a little pinker. “I will do so.”

  
  



End file.
